Arizona Youth Survey Reveals Levels of Violence and Drug Use Among Youth

JRSA Forum. March 2013. Volume 31, Number 1.

The Arizona SAC, the research arm of the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, took part in the recent effort to conduct and compile results from the 2012 Arizona Youth Survey. The survey sample included more than 60,000 students from 349 schools across Arizona's 15 counties. The purpose of the survey is to assess health risk behavior and measure the prevalence of substance abuse behavior—including use of alcohol, tobacco, and other dangerous drugs—among Arizona 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students. The survey also includes questions concerning other risky behavior such as bullying, violence, and gambling.

Survey results show that Arizona students continue to experience and/or participate in frequent incidences of violence, bullying, and cyber-bullying. In addition, more than one third of Arizona youth reported engaging in some type of substance use in the previous 30 days.